TWO NEW ZOO TOURS TO “PANDA” TO EVERY NEED

Avoid the crowds, go behind the scenes and get up close and personal with the only two Giant Pandas in the Southern Hemisphere – Wang Wang and Funi – at the Adelaide Zoo.

“Adelaide Panda Tours are a once-in-a-lifetime chance to tag along with the Giant Panda Keeper and experience these magnificent creatures in the morning when they are most active,” SeaLink Promotions Manager Julie-Anne Briscoe says.

“While it’s an amazing experience to see Wang Wang and Funi in their enclosures, the chance to sit quietly in a small group and be a part of the Giant Pandas’ morning routines before hundreds of visitors arrive is something incredibly special and the highlight of any holiday.”

Before the zoo opens, visitors on the Panda Insights & Inspirations Tour will have prime access and viewing of the Giant Panda and Red Panda exhibits on a guided tour with an Adelaide Zoo host. They can talk with the Keeper and watch the Red Pandas being fed. They’ll also be the first visitors to see the Giant Pandas being released into their day exhibits before joining a zoo keeper for an exclusive 40-minute personalised tour of the zoo.

Visitors will also gain an insight into the life of a Giant Panda and learn about the bamboo, where it is sourced, how the zoo keeps up the supply for their daily intake as well as finding out about the genetic makeup of Giant Pandas and the efforts that are being made to save these endangered animals from extinction. This tour also includes a souvenir gift, Panda Shop 10% discount voucher and a morning tea voucher.

Those on the exclusive Giant Panda Close Encounter – where numbers are strictly limited to a maximum of six - are in for an even more memorable experience, helping the Giant Panda Keeper to prepare their breakfast as well as placing bamboo and daily treats for Wang Wang and Funi in their enclosure areas.

They’ll also get to spend more time with a Giant Panda Keeper as well as heading into the “inner sanctum”, viewing the Pandas in their night quarters and helping to release them into their day enclosures.

The Panda Insights and Inspirations Tour costs $130pp while the Giant Panda Close Encounter costs $495pp, with part proceeds being contributed to Conservation Ark program, the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia’s integrated science and conservation arm.

Accommodation packages start from $475pp for 3days/2 nights twin share, staying at the brand new Crowne Plaza Adelaide in the heart of the city (free one-way zoo transfer included) and include the Panda Insights and Inspirations Tour and a Full Day Ultimate Barossa Valley Tour. Other two and three night packages include a Twilight Tour and Dinner at the famous Penfold’s Magill Estate and Restaurant and tours to Kangaroo Island.